Combined player-piano and phonograph



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MELVILLE CLARK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 MELVILLE CLARK PIANOCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

' COMBINED PLAYER-PIANO AND PHONOGRAPH.

1,306,847. Specification of Letters Patent Patented June 17, 1919.

Application filed October 28, 1915. Serial No. 58,364.

To all whom it may concern: e-

Be it known that I, NLELVILLE CLARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Combined Player-Pianos andPhonographs, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to effect a working combination betweena player piano and a phonograph, whereby the player piano under thecontrol of the usual perforated note sheet may render a pianoaccompaniment to a vocal selection simultaneously played by thephonograph. The invention further involves the disposition of the entirephonograph mechanism within the usual form of easing of a piano, so thatthe phonograph shall occupy no additional space and so that, in fact,the phonograph mechanism is entirely concealed while in operation;

The invention therefore consists in such a combination of the elementsmentioned together with the features of'construction embodied in thecombination as hereinafter described and shown in the drawings andindicated by the claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a player pianoconventionally represented and shown with the front panel removed toreveal the control mechanism of the player and also the mechanism of thephonograph.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the upper portion of the pianocase and showing in plan the relative arrangement of the phonographparts and the tracker bar housing or support.

Fig. 3 is a section at the line, 3-3, on Figs. 1 and 2.

The player piano conventionally illustrated in the drawing comprises theusual case, 1, manual keys, 2, trackerbar, 3, takeup or winding roll, 4,and a driving motor for said take-up roll conventionally indicated at 5.As is well understood the speed of the motor, 5, is variable at willthrough a comparatively wide range, being adjustable as by the lever, 6,which is usually connected also to an index, 7, mounted to traverse ascale, 8, provided with markings arranged to indicate in standard termsthe tempo of the music which will result with any given speed of themotor, 5, producing a corresponding speed of travel of the controllingnote-sheet, 9, which is wound from its roll, 10, onto the take-up roll,4, in a well understood manner. As usual, the perforations of thenote-sheet are designed to co-act with suitably arranged ducts in thetracker-bar, 3, connected to a pneumatic mechanism not shown, but whichmay be understood as located just back of the rail, 11, or in any otherconvenient position for actuating the keys, 2, in playing the piano.

The phonograph mechanism comprises a turn-table, 12, having a Verticalspindle, 13, rotatably mounted in a bracket, 14, and fitted with afriction wheel, 15, engaging the face of a friction disk, 16, on adrive-shaft, 17, which is also journaled in the bracket, 14. The recorddisk, 18, carried by the turntable, 12, is engaged by the needle orstylus, 19, of the sound-box or reproducer, 20, carried at the end ofthe tone arm, 21, which is pivotally mounted at 22, for swinging acrossthe face of the record disk, 18, in traversing the spirally-formedrecord groove thereon. In the construction illustrated the terminalportion of the tonearm, 21, is a goose-neck fitting, 23, hinged to themain portion of the arm to permit the sound-box, 20, and its stylus,19,to be swung up clear of the record disk, 18, for replacement of therecord or renewal of the stylus.

As indicated in the drawing, the tracker bar, 3, take-up roll, 4, andthe note-sheet, 9, are all mounted and contained in a recess formed by abox, 24, positioned back of the front wall, 25, of the piano casing andin front of the piano action which is not shown in detail. In Fig. 1 theposition of the hammer rest rail is indicated at 26, while in Fig. 2 thesounding board upon which the piano harp is strung is shown at 27, thusindicating quite definitely the relation of the various elements to themechanism of the piano proper. The box or compartment, 24, is dividedinto an upper and a lower chamber by the tracker-bar, 3, which forms acomplete horizontal partition between the two chambers. The entirecompartment, 24, is open at its forward side except as it may be closedby the sliding panel, 28, in the front Wall, 25, of thepiano case, and"the upper chamber of'the compartment is clear and unobstructed exceptfor the note-sheet roll, 10, and that portion of the note-sheetextending, therefrom to the tracker-bar, 3. This isnota seriousobstruction and it is therefore feasible to form the amplifier, 29, sothat it communicates at its smaller end with the tone arm, 21, of thephonograph, while its larger end opens into the back side of the upperchamber of the compartment, 24:. Thus when the phonograph is playing itsmusic is projected out over the note-sheet, 9, and the roll, 10, comingpartly from behind the note-sheet and directly out of the piano casetoward the operator and into the room, so that from a psychologicalstandpoint at least, this position of the amplifier tends to heightenthe effect of the blending of the phonograph music with theaccompaniment played by the player piano as controlled by the travelingnote-sheet, 9, at the trackerbar, 3. Preferably the amplifier, 29, is ofmetallic construction so as to impart to the air surrounding it in thepiano case the vibrations set up by the phonograph record with theresult that the volume of the phonograph music is enhanced and its toneis considerably enriched by reason of the sympathetic vibration thus setup amongthe strings of the piano harp, to-

gether with the action of the soimding board, 27, in projecting suchsympathetic vibration.

Now it may be understood that the perforated note-sheet producing thepiano accompaniment to any given vocal phonograph record will have beenproduced from a master note sheet made by a competent artist actuallyplaying a piano accompaniment while listening to ,the music of thephonograph record in question, so that un-,

der ordinary circumstances, the accompaniment when reproduced by theproper note sheet will exactly fit the music rendered by the phonograph.To play the two instruments, in unison then becomes a comparativelysimple matter since the drive shaft, 17, is operatively connected withthe motor, 5. The connection is, however, disengageable by means of asmall hand lever indicated at 30, which may operate a disengageableclutch or a movable gear in the train, or any other simple and familiarexpedient for engaging or disengaging the shaft, 17, from the motor, 5,at will. Furthermore, the exact speed transmitted to the turn-table, 12,may be varied through a limited range by moving the friction wheel, 15,radially with respect to the friction disk, 16, this being accomplishedby an adjusting screw, 31, operating a push-rod, 32,

which is connected through a bell-crank, 33,

wardly and downwardly to give access to the turn-table, 12, for placinga record disk thereon, and incidentally this panel, 36, may

serve as a table for supporting a record disk when the records are beingchanged. A record disk, 18, being adjusted in place on the turntable,12, and the stylus, 19, of the sound-box, 20, being turned downincontact with the record, the take-up roll, 4, is started rotating withthe speed index, 7, set at the 30 tempo at which the note-sheet, 9, isdesigned to be played, but before the end of the note sheet has beenconnected to the take-up roll, 4. Then by throwing the clutch-lever, 30,the turn-table, 12, is started and its speed is modified one way or theother to bring the music properly in tune with the piano, such tuningbeing accomplished in-the usual manner of striking one or more of thepiano keys and comparing the resulting tone by car with the tones of thephonograph record. WVith this tuning adjustment satisfactorily made, thephonograph drive shaft, 17, may be disconnected by the clutch lever, 30,and the motor, 5, then stopped. The stylus, 19, should then be set onthe record disk, 18, at the point where the solo or other vocalselection actually begins. Then connecting up the end of the note-sheet,9, to the take-up roll, at, the player piano accompaniment may bestarted, playing the usual introductory chords which precede the vocalmusic. Now

at the proper instant by throwing the clutch lever, 30, the operator maystart the turntable, 12, which will begin to rotate in unison with thetake-up roll, t, and at such a speed that the phonograph music will beproperly in tune with the piano accompaniment. As

the playing proceeds any slight shortening or elongation of thenote-sheet, 9, due to excessive humidity or excessive dryness in theatmosphere may be compensated by slight adjustment of thespeed-regulating screw,

31, such adjustment being not sufiicient to seriously alter the tuningof the phonograph music, but just enough to keep the vocal music in timewith the piano accompaniment. It may be understood that at thecompletion of the selection the phonograph mechanism will be againdisconnected by means of the clutch lever, 30, to permit reversal of thetake-up roll, 4:, in re-winding the note-sheet upon its roll, 10, in theusual manner. 7

I claim In combination with a player piano comprising a case having anopening, a tracker bar, a take-up roll for propelling the note sheetover such tracker bar, and a phonograph mechanism mounted within thepiano 130 case and including a sound amplifier arthe speed transmittedindependently of the ranged to project the sound waves through speedtransmitted through the other con 10 the opening of said ease, togetherwith a nection.

driving motor Within the case, and operat- In testimony whereof I havehereunto Set ing connections therefrom both to the takemy hand atChicago, Illinois, this 27th day up roll and to the phonographmechanism, of October, 1915.

the parts cooperating at one of said connections being relativelyadjustable for varying MELVILLE CLARK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). 0.

